The Mark Twain Health Care District Board approved a 30-year lease with Dignity Health on Wednesday morning, a move that with voter approval could ensure the future of Calaveras County’s only hospital and eight clinics. In a meeting attended by about 30 people at the hospital in San Andreas yesterday, board members Tahibah Al-Rafiq, Debbie Sellick, Lin Reed and Susan Atkinson voted in favor of two resolutions to move forward with Dignity Health. Board member Ann Radford abstained from voting because she is a nurse practitioner at the Arnold Clinic and a Mark Twain Medical Center employee. The Board’s approval of the new partnership with dignity health was a time-sensitive move needed to meet an elections office deadline to get a measure on the June 5th ballots. Mark Twain Medical Center is the only hospital in Calaveras County, and with its clinics, is the third largest employer in the county with an annual payroll exceeding $30 million. The hospital and its clinics have more than 300 employees, including 35 doctors. The new lease agreement with Dignity Health will ensure continued operation of the district’s hospital and emergency room in San Andreas for at least 10 years, and up to 30.